Representations can be produced through different forms such as; images, spoken words, music or written text. Representations allow individuals to make meaning of the world, influencing how society, identity and space are evaluated as media are able to influence people's minds (Crang, 1999). Discourses, however, are a way of processing the representations produced. “How we act on that thought (Rose, 2016:190).” In other words, it is possible to construct multiple representations of the same context to create a discourse. This essay will discuss how discourses and representations legitimize, reproduce or challenge relations of power and domination in society. This will be illustrated through a film case study entitled “The Blind Side”. The essay aims to discuss how the blind side reproduces stereotypes of African Americans and space in a negative way, idolizing white Americans. Representing how you can only succeed through the help of whiteness and through white practices seen as “normal.” This film therefore connects to race and class identities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "The Blind Side" is a film produced in 2009 and made in Atlanta, United States. The film's director was John Lee, a white American who grew up in a small town in Texas. His social profile is very different from that of Michael Other's main character who is a low class African American, which could mean he doesn't have much knowledge of African American culture so his portrayals could therefore be about other groups. John Lee is best known for making sports dramas such as “The Rookie” and “Saving MR Banks” (Burris, 2014). The Bind Side is a sports drama genre based on the true story of Michael Other, a lower-class black American boy traumatized by his childhood growing up in an urban area. This urban area is populated by African Americans, depicted as a dangerous "neighborhood" populated by gangs. Michael has no idea who his father is and has a drug-addicted mother, leaving him homeless. Life then changes for Michael when a wealthy, upper-class white family takes him in, far from the urban area and their practices. He changes school, now has a loving family, gets a car, studies and manages to pursue a career in American football. The film is described as a boy who went from rags to riches (Pimentel, Santillanes,2014:126)”. The Blind Side was also produced in the same year that the first African American, Baraka Obama, became president. Potentially influencing the making of the film, showing how everyone can be successful, creating a conversation of equality. Throughout the film, white Americans are portrayed as wealthy, normal, hardworking, generous, and understanding. While black African Americans are the opposite: lazy, reckless, ignorant and criminals living in urban neighborhoods. At the beginning of the film Michael Other, the main character was portrayed as a childish and ignorant character who has no plan in life and follows the path of his drug-addicted mother. Towards the end of the film he has transformed into a successful, loving, inspiring and caring boy; with the help of white society that distances him from urban space and practices. Lianne Tuohy, another main character, is a strong, independent and liberated woman who took Michael under her arms and led him to success. She is described as the "hero" of the film who takes on a motherly role towards Michael. The cost of the filmwas €29 million and eventually became an Oscar-winning Hollywood film that earned €309 million from ticket sales with a further €102 million from DVD sales (Pimentel and Santillanes, 2014). Revealing the success of the film and how popular it was. The film's production aimed to inspire others with the true story of Michael Other, however, some individuals felt it was racist and portrayed African Americans in a negative manner. At first glance, the Blind Side could potentially represent the “American Dream,” which is a national ethos of the United States that everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed despite social differences. In which The Blind Side portrays how the African American boy from a low class area becomes very successful. However, this representation of the American dream is portrayed dubiously, because Michael Other can only succeed in life if he is taken in by a white family, introduced into their space, and learns their practices. Suggest that inequality exists because lower-class African Americans cannot achieve the American dream without upper-class white Americans. This then leads to the master code that can be seen throughout the blind side of white superiority. A subcode of the blind side is "white hero". One scene that represents this is when Lianne Tuohy sees Michael wandering alone at night with nowhere to go, so she lets him stay with her for a night. Showing how Michael's community has neglected him and how he has been let down by the state as he is homeless. This is where Lianne's "white hero" comes into play. Taking in a poor homeless boy away from the urban ghetto and into the wealthy rural neighborhood shows how Lianne can overcome problems where society cannot, by providing Michael with a place to sleep. The one-night stay then leads to Michael's adoption into the Tuohy family. Michael then begins to learn the "norms" and practices of white Americans, such as how to dress and the importance of education, which results in Michael's success in a career in football. This can be linked to social constructionist theory, which states that identities are not fixed but can change depending on the social constructions that surround them (Horton and Kraftl, 2014). Once Michael left the ghetto, he began to be influenced by the white community, which then allowed him to be successful as he was not stuck in the ghetto with ghetto practices holding him back, such as violence and crime. This shows that the essentialist view of how identities are fixed is challenged, as it shows how Michael's class changed from a lower class boy to a middle class boy, through complete social constructionism. This depiction of how Lianne's family had to help Michael "escape" the ghetto to succeed could represent a message that you cannot succeed while living in the ghetto. Because of how urban practices hold them back such as; gangs, violence and crime. This can be seen as no other African American living in the ghetto was portrayed as successful. The message conveyed by the blind side can also be seen in a film called Coach Carter, also about lower-class black Americans who are taken away by ghetto practices. Once they turn their backs on this life, they will be successful in basketball. This can potentially help build a discourse about how you cannot succeed if you are involved in ghetto life. It is said that the more control someone has, the more the audience will be influenced, making the speech more powerful, especially when two films tellthe same knowledgeюThis film therefore reproduces the relationships of power and domination in society. This is because marginalized groups such as African Americans may take the portrayal of white superiority negatively, making them feel powerless. This portrayal can then influence them to believe this to be true, causing self-hatred, creating a mindset where they believe they are not good enough and must rely on upper-class white Americans to achieve the American dream. (Benshoff and Griffin, 2009). Allowing the dominant group that is white Americans to remain dominant as they are empowered by their representation of what they are of a higher position in society. However, this portrayal does not help society solve social problems related to inequality, since although the story shows how inequality can be solved, it is only on a very small scale. By taking just one lower class person out of the ghetto, the inequalities between the classes will not change, as there are still inequalities between everyone left in the ghetto. The Blind Side represents how urban places and identities are dangerous, with individuals who find themselves in gangs and have no reason in life to succeed. This relates to space, place, and identities as the film essentialized all African Americans in lower class urban ghettos while all white Americans are fixed in upper class rural neighborhoods, connecting to the master code of white superiority and as yet another Sometimes white Americans are seen as superior in social class. Most of the scenes in urban areas used dark lighting, as shown in the figure…. Which created a climate of danger and negativity. The contrasts between classes are highlighted even more through the exchange of scenes between the two locations, this makes the inequality between classes even more evident to the audience. It is stated that African Americans and their spaces are most often represented as "A wild urban kingdom, the scene of serial tragedies, composed of drug dealers and gangsters from the urban centers." This representation of African Americans and their space can also be seen in In the Blind Side. For example, urban danger can be understood in the scene where Michael and Lianne take a trip to the ghetto to buy Michael new clothes. Lianne holds onto Michael's arm tightly as she states, "I've been in Memphis all my life and I've never been around here, you'll take care of me, right?" This shows how Lianne is portraying the urban ghetto as a dangerous place, as she feels she needs to be protected by Michael. Therefore, reproducing the idea that African Americans are seen as a "wild kingdom" full of "gangsters", as these characteristics are seen as dangerous. This could also suggest that she feels like she doesn't fit into the identities around her as she feels irrefutable. Feeling uncomfortable in an environment may be due to not having that sense of security, not being able to relate and feel a belonging with the same identities. Another scene that represents African Americans for no reason and how gang oriented they are, is when Lianne drives to the ghetto with Michael. Here they are confronted by a gang, who try to intimidate Lianne by using sexual comments and staring at her as she approaches. This gang was sitting outside their neighborhood in the middle of the day, suggesting that they have no work because they have nothing better to do than loiter around the streets intimidating people like Lianne. Early recipients tend to accept beliefs, knowledge, and opinions unless they are inconsistent with their beliefs or experiences.